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magicfreak_NV Regular user 159 Posts |
Does anyone know of a lighting design/programing school?
done a search here and google cant seam to find anything worth looking into |
Fitz Elite user Phoenix, AZ 476 Posts |
Okay a few years back I was on a similar search and found Full Sail. It was very expensive and at the time was only a two year degree. I asked a lot of people in the industry what they thought and they ALL were against it. I asked an audio engineer at a very large arena what he thought and he said they are a waist of time and money. He said when he hires people from these schools they have to be retrained as many times the technology has changed by the time students get into the real world.
Another friend told me to take the thirty or forty grand and by a lighting system and learn how to use it. I wish I had taken his advice because I would have been paid as I learned (If you do this rent it out and run it yourself.) and I would own the gear. I did learn and get paid... I got a job for a local lighting company that had lots of great gear. This was not easy as I had no experience. I actually told the owner I would work for free and if he liked me he could pay me and if not I wouldn't come back. I came in the next morning at nine and within three months I ran the technical end of his business. ( I was 21 at the time) I solved a major problem right off my first day, that secured my job. Now I know a lot about lighting, sound, video projection, special effects, and pyro. But I do not own the gear! here is the link to Full Sail http://www.fullsail.com/flash/index.cfm?......-touring I hope this helps, Fitz
I have a daily web show all about magic at http://FitzMagic.info
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George Ledo Magic Café Columnist SF Bay Area 3042 Posts |
It totally depends on what you're trying to do. There's a huge difference between being a lighting designer and being a lighting techie.
If you want to become a full-time lighting designer for the stage, there are a number of colleges that offer these programs. Most are four-year programs, but people who are serious about the profession usually go on to graduate degrees. The problem with two-year schools is that you very often come out of them knowing about the equipment itself, but not how to design lights for a show. In other words, you become a techie, not a designer. Or, if you're looking for how to program smart lights, call a theatrical lighting supplier and ask them if they handle the stuff and if they have any local customers or know of any local schools, and go from there. If you want to learn about lighting so you can light your own magic show, I would suggest reading a few good books on lighting design (not on the instrumentation) first. Then find a local theater group that has a good reputation, find out who their lighting designer is (or are), watch a show or two to see if you like his or her work, and do some volunteer work for a while. Again, you need to differentiate between learning design and learning the technical stuff. A fantastic book on lighting design, if you can find it, is Jean Rosenthal's The Magic of Light. Jean was one of Broadway's best lighting designers for many years, and her book is a pleasure to read. Another of my favorites is the chapter on stage lighting in Robert Edmond Jones' The Dramatic Imagination. Robert was a top New York designer for many years, and this book is like a breath of fresh air. Good luck!
That's our departed buddy Burt, aka The Great Burtini, doing his famous Cups and Mice routine
www.georgefledo.net Latest column: "Sorry about the photos in my posts here" |
IllusionJack Veteran user Las Vegas, Nevada 376 Posts |
Full Sail is a popular school. I have heard people say it's wonderful, and I've heard people say it's a waste of money.
For what it's worth, a very large number of people on David Copperfield's touring crew graduated from Full Sail. Copperfield hires lots of people from there. Copperfield handles all his own lighting design and hires people from Full Sail to be crew members (or "Magi" as he cleverly calls them). I took a tour of Full Sail while in Florida once and it seemed like they had a pretty nice facility. I didn't end up going there because I ultimately chose a different path in the industry. I've managed several tours now, all Broadway and family entertainment shows. Only on Copperfield's show did I encounter Full Sail graduates. Most of the other crew members I've met did not necessarily have formal training in theatre or stagecraft - some do, some don't. But they are just box pushers... crew members... loading in/out the same show day in and day out. There is nothing creative about their jobs and they do not have any say or input as to how the show looks or sounds. The designers themselves come around a lot less often, they are paid a much higher fee, and they seem to have a great deal more education in the theory and practice of lighting design. And some of them are a bit snobby. --Jack |
michaelstellman New user Los Angeles 76 Posts |
I actually know two people who went to full sail. . Once started working for Copperfield as soon as he got out, and the other immediately went on to do a large touring arena show.
They both had great things to say about the school, but it's obviously up to you to do the research and make your own decision. There are plenty of other programs out there that can teach you what you want. I got my Theatre degree at UNLV. Though it's not Juliard or NYU, It's a decent program with some creative minds. I had several classmates who, from just the tech program (which includes lighting design), they went onto work for Cirque, Mama Mia, Etc. . . good luck, MS |
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